Releasing handle for vestibule curtains



W. E. PALT. RELEASING HANDLE FOR VESTIBULE CURTAINS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-I51 I92].

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

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can ism-l WALTER E. PALE, O33 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A$SIGNOR 'I'O CURTAIN SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RELEASING HANDLE FOR VESTIBULE CURTAINS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

Application filerl September 15, 1921. Serial No. 500,785.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVAL'rnn E. PALT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Releasing Handles for Vestibule Curtains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in a general way to devices for releasing the vestibule curtains of railway cars, and more specifically has to do with the provision of an automatically releasing curtain handle.

The necessity for a curtain holding device which will automatically release upon the unrolling of the diaphragm guard curtain to its full extent is predicated upon the constantly occurring destruction of curtains caused by the repeated failure of trainmen to release the curtains between adjoining cars before uncoupling the same. Numerous releasing devices intended for embodiment either in the handle or in the hook have been developed. to meet the requirements that are indicated in the above noted conditions to be necessary but no truly satisfactory results have been obtained with any such devices heretofore presented, due primarily to their complicated nature, inconvenience in use resulting therefrom, cost of production, and objectionable features from a mechanical standpoint culminating with continued use in unsatisfactory and ine'flicient operation.

The main and primary object, therefore, of the invention resides in the provision of an automatically releasing curtain handle which is characterized by decided improvements over handlcsrof its type both in its simplified compact construction and in its efficient mannerof operation.

Other objects contemplated by the inven tion and advantages derived therefrom will become apparent as the nature of the device is more fully understood from the following description andv accompanying drawings wherein is set forth what is at present considered to be a preferred form of the invention. It is understood. however, that slight variations in unessential details of construction falling within the range of equivalents may be made from the precise embodiment here disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a diaphragm curtain extending in fully unrolled position between the opposite end-door jambs of adjoining vestibule cars and equipped with the handle of this invention;

F ig. 2 is a detailed side elevation of the handle and associated parts, showing portions of the handle in section, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section through the handle taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.2.

Referring now in more detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a diaphragm curtain which is attached to, but unrolled from, a spring roller 11 contained within a jamb 12 of the end-door in a vestibule car. The free end of the curtain 10 is hemmed upon a vertically disposed rod 13 and has attached thereto, at substantially its medial point, the handle 14 of the present invention. This handle is adapted to engage over a curved hook 15 which projects rigidly from a plate 16 attached to the face of an enddoor jainb 17 located opposite the jamb 12 in an adjoining vestibule car.

As shown quite clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the handle 1% is substantially D-shaped in side elevation and includes a rigid bracket 18 which clamps along one vertical side to the free end of the curtain about the rod 13. This bracket may conveniently be constructed as two similar oppositely disposed side plates 19 which are secured together at their ends by rivets 20 passing through overlapped end flanges 21. of each into short reinforcing spacer strips 22 which contact with and are parallel to the inner flanges. For a short distance from the closed, ends just described the side plates extend vertically in parallel relation to form oppositely disposed U- shaped housings 23 in the ends of the bracket, and then terminate except along the edge thereof adjacent the curtain where the plates are stamped into the form of a vertically disposed cylindrical tube 2i which opens at both ends into the aforesaid laterally extending housings 23. Along the nearly closed side of the tube 24: that contacts with the portion of the curtain 10 covering the rod 13 the side plates 19 are curved abruptly outwards to conform with the rod 13, and are formed, adjacent their tops and bottoms, into semi-circularly curved ears 25Wl1l0l1 embrace and securely grip the covered rod 13.

Two complementary handle-forming mem bers 26 are carried by the above described bracket 18. These members are'similar, and are oppositely disposed in the bracket with their adjacent ends 27 normally in co-aXial abutment, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2.

The mechanism and mounting of each of the members 26, as well as the members themselvesfare in all respects the same, and the following descriptiontherefore of the upper member and its associated mechanism will accordingly make unnecessary a description of the oppositely positioned and similarly operating lower member.

The upper member 26 is pivotally mounted within the upper housing 23 of the handle bracket on a pin 28 positioned transversely near the outer open corner of said housing. The longer portion of the member is rounded and extends downwardly and outwardly from-the pivot in a gentle curve to a point where its end 27 co-axially abuts the corresponding end 27 of the lower member. The

shorter portion of the member 26 extends rearwardly from the pivot into the housing 23 and at its extremity 29 normally bearsagainst the previousl described spacer strip 22, thereby limiting the inward pivotal movement of the end 27 independently of its apparent abutting contact with the lower member. The under surface of the extremity 29 of the uppermember is flattened and bears againsta small thrust-button 30 located in the adjacent end of the tube 24: and adapted to reciprocate axially within the same. This button is provided with a short shank 31 about the upper portion of which are disposed a plurality of annular fiber washers 32. A strong helical coil spring 33 bears against. the under side of the lowermost of these washers, concentrically with the springguiding shank 31 of the thrust-button, and is held in compressed form in the upper half of the tube 2 1 between said washers and a plug 34 which is positioned at a medial. point of the tube by means of a transverse rivet 35 passing through the same and through the plates 19 on each side thereof. The opposite face of this plug serves as a similar abutment for the inner end of the corresponding spring which acts on the lower member 26. In view of the foregoing detailed description of the handle construction, an extensive explanation of the manner in which the handle operates is unnecessary. Briefly stated, a handle is here presentedwhich comprises a curved hook-engaging portion adapted to separate at its middle point when more than a predetermined amount of tension is applied thereto, each of the oppositely disclothing, etc., of persons passing through the vestibules.

I claim:

1. A curtain handle comprising two complementary handle-forming members pivotally mounted with two of their ends normally in approximate abutment, and spring means acting on the members to offer yieldingresistance to pivotal movement of the members upon a force being applied to the ends thereof mentioned in a direction substantially at right angles to a line passing through their pivoting axes.

2. A curtain handle comprising a bracket, two complementary handle-forming members carried by the bracket with their adj acent ends normally in co-axial abutment, and spring means acting on the members to offer yielding resistance to movement of their adjacent ends away from the bracket upon application of pressure to the ends of the members in a direction substantially at right angles thereto at their point of abut ment.

3. A curtain handle comprising a bracket, two complementary handle-forming members carried by the bracket with their adj acent ends normally in co-aXial abutment, and spring means acting on the members to oflier yielding resistance to movement of their adjacent ends away from the bracket upon application of pressure in excess of a predetermined amount to the end of the members in a direction substantially at right angles thereto at their point of abutment.

A. A curtain handle comprising a bracket, two complementary handle-forming members pivotally carried by the bracket with, their adjacent ends normally in co-aXial abutment and spring means acting between the bracket and the members to offer yielding resistance to pivotal movement of. the latter in one direction.

5. A curtain handle-comprising a bracket, two complementary handle-forming members pivotally carried by the bracket with their adjacent ends normally in co-axial abutment, and spring means acting between the bracket and the members to offer yielding resistance to pivotal movement of the latter in a direction away from the bracket.

6. A curtain handle comprising a bracket, two complementary handle-forming members pivotally carried by the bracket with their adjacent ends normally in coaxial abutment, and spring means acting between the bracket and each of the members independently of the other to offer yielding resistance to pivotal movement of each of the members in one direction.

7. A curtain handle comprising abracket, two complementary handle-forming members pivoted intermediate their ends to the bracket with their adjacent ends normally in co-axial abutment, and spring means acting on the separated ends of the members to ofl'er yielding resistance to pivotal movement of the same in one direction.

8. A curtain handle comprising a bracket, two complementary handle-forming members pivoted intermediate their ends to the bracket with their adjacent ends normally in co-axial abutment, and spring means acting between each of the separated ends of the members and the bracket to offer yielding resistance to pivotal movement of the members in one direction.

9. A curtain handle comprising a bracket, two complementary handle-"forming members carried by the bracket with their adj acent ends normally in approximate co-axial alignment, and spring means acting on the members to offer yielding resistance to movement of their adjacent ends away from the bracket in a direction at right angles to the axes of the said adjacent ends.

10. A curtain handle comprising a bracket having a tubular portion and laterally extending portions at the end of said tubular portion, two complementary handle-forming members each oi? which is pivotally mounted in one of said laterally extending pertions of the bracket, and two helical springs disposed in opposite ends of the tubular por tion of the bracket and acting between the same and the member adjacent to each.

11. A curtain handle comprising a bracket having a tubular portion and laterally extending portions at the end of said tubular portion, two complementary handle-forming members each of which is pivotally mounted in one of said laterally extending portions of the bracket, and two helical springs disposed in opposite ends of the tubular portion of the bracket and acting independently on the member adjacent to each.

12. A curtain handle comprising an elongated bracket, two complementary handle forming members carried by the bracket at longitudinally spaced points with their adjacent ends normally co-axial and in apparent abutment, and spring means acting on the members to offer yielding resistance to movement of their adjacent ends in a di rection away from the bracket at substantially right angles to the longitudinal axis of the same.

13. A curtain handle comprising a bracket, two complementary handle forming members pivotally carried by the bracket with their adjacent ends co-axial and in sufliciently close proximity to present a substantially closed handle, means for limiting the pivotal movement of each of the members in one direction relative to the bracket and independent of the other member, and spring means acting on the members to oller yielding resistance to movement of their adj acent ends in the opposite direction.

let. A curtain handle comprisingabracket two complementary handle forming members pivotally carried by the bracket with their adjacent ends co-axial and in suiticiently close proximity to present a substantially closed handle, means associated rigidly with the bracket for limiting independently the movement of each of the said adj acent ends toward the bracket, and spring means for offering yielding resistance independently to movement of each of the said adjacent ends away from the bracket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

lVALTERi E. PALT. 

